Friday, 27 July 2018

Su-34 launching a Kh-31 anti-ship missile over Caspian Sea - Video

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"Ilyushin" began to develop the systems of the first pilot IL-112V

DTA Red YouTube
Translated by google

 Specialists of the Transport Aviation Division of PJSC UAC started testing systems mounted on board an experimental flight sample of a light military transport aircraft IL-112V.

 Specialists of the Transport Aviation Division of the United Aircraft Corporation (DTA PJSC UAC) began testing systems mounted on board an experimental flight sample of a light military transport aircraft IL-112V.

 "Today, specialists of PJSC" VASO "and PJSC" IL "in the final assembly shop began to work onboard systems of the first pilot IL-112V. The completion of these works will be the signing of the relevant act and the transfer of the aircraft for terrestrial frequency tests and a cycle of airfield workings, "said Alexei Rogozin, General Director of PJSC" IL ", Vice-President for Transport Aviation of PJSC UAC.

 The light military transport aircraft Il-112V is designed for transportation and airborne landing of up to 5 tons of light weapons and military equipment, cargo and personnel, as well as a wide range of various cargoes for commercial aircraft operation. In the future, the IL-112 will be replaced not only by the AN-26, which it surpasses by 2 times in transport efficiency, but also will compete with the best world transport aircraft of this class.


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Canada is asking six potential bidders for information about their capabilities for the future fighter to replace CF-18

 CF-18 Hornet - theaviationist.com
Canada asks fighter bidders for sustainment information
26 JULY, 2018 SOURCE: FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM
BY: STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC

 As Canada formulates requirements for a future fighter to replace Boeing CF-18 Hornets, the government is now asking six potential bidders for information about their capabilities to maintain the new fleet.

 A letter of interest sent to bidders on 23 July broadens the Canadian government’s year-long series of engagements with industry suppliers.

 The letter asks the six potential bidders to provide feedback on how the government plans to divide the sustainment responsibilities between industry and the Department of National Defence.

 “Please indicate any barriers or challenges that you would need to address to allow you to undertake this work for a future fighter fleet,” the letter states.

 Sustainment practices among the six potential bidders vary widely. Lockheed Martin’s F-35A, for example, consolidates sustainment planning and support in a central hub, feeding data and parts to several regional depots stationed among the global partners. Other potential bidders, including the Boeing F/A-18E/F, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen, offer services ranging from turn-key maintenance support to varying levels of direct and indirect support.

 All six potential bidders signed on to the official Supplier’s List in February. Their presence on the list allows the suppliers to continue engaging with the Canadian government about the acquisition, but does not commit them to submit a bid.

 The Royal Canadian Air Force plans to award a contract in 2021 or 2022 for 88 new fighters, with deliveries scheduled from 2025 to 2031.

 A Conservative Canadian government selected the F-35 in 2009, but that plan was scrapped after the Liberal party ascended to power in Ottawa in 2015.

 Prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government initially selected the F/A-18E/F for an interim contract for 24 aircraft, while it continued to evaluate options on a permanent CF-18 replacement. But Trudeau cancelled a plan to sign the interim contract last summer after Boeing filed a trade complaint against Bombardier with the US Department of Commerce.

 Meanwhile, Trudeau’s government launched an acquisition process for the Future Fighter Capability in December 2017.


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Thursday, 26 July 2018

Japan considering collaborating with the UK on the Tempest future fighter aircraft

Tempest future fighter aircraft - BAE Systems
Japan indicates possible Tempest collaboration with UK
Jon Grevatt - IHS Jane's Defence Industry

 26 July 2018
   
Japan is considering engaging with the United Kingdom on its newly disclosed Combat Air Strategy and its plans to develop the Tempest future fighter aircraft, a model of which was unveiled at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow in mid-July.

 This engagement will proceed through Japan’s continuing programme to evaluate options in support of its plan to replace the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s (JASDF’s) Mitsubishi F-2 fighters.

 Citing Japanese defence minister Itsunori Onodera, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in Tokyo confirmed in a recent statement that Japan and the UK have had an “exchange of opinions” about the possibility of a joint air combat project to meet the JASDF’s requirements.

 Source: janes.com

 Related article:
Japan F-2 fighter replacement program in doubt at concerns to the program’s cost
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Saab introduce two new Gripen E test platforms as it intensifies flight trials

Gripen E
Saab to ramp-up Gripen E trials as two new prototypes prepare for flight
Gareth Jennings, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

 24 July 2018

 Saab is to introduce two new test platforms as it intensifies the flight trials campaign for its Gripen E combat aircraft.

 Speaking at the Farnborough International Airshow in mid-July, Saab’s head of Aeronautics, Jonas Hjelm, said that test aircraft 39-9 and 39-10 will join prototype 39-8 as the programme begins to ramp-up.

 “39-8 has been flying since June last year; 39-9 and 39-10 will join the programme soon [ahead of] an intensive test period for the Gripen E,” Hjelm said, adding that both prototypes have left the production line at Linköping and are undergoing verification ahead of their first flights.

 Hjelm declined to say when the first flights would take place but he did confirm that they would not be at the same time. Both aircraft will be in the flight test campaign “by this time next year”, he said.

 With 39-8 being used mainly for airframe and general flight control tests, 39-9 will be used as a tactical systems testbed while 39-10 will fly as the first production-standard airframe. “The avionics in 39-9 and 39-10 are almost completely different from 39-8, and this shows that our development concept for the aircraft works,” Hjelm noted. The twin-seat Gripen NG demonstrator (39-7) that provided much of the risk mitigation for the Gripen E is continuing to serve as a general test platform throughout the flight trials effort.

 In terms of the test campaign, Saab recently undertook flight trials of the wingtip IRIS-T air-to-air missile stations, as well as flying with hardpoint pylons fitted. “We are progressing and are now preparing for the next step in the external loads trials,” Hjelm said.

 Sweden is due to receive the first of 60 Gripen Es in 2019, with deliveries running through to 2026. The only international customer to date, Brazil, has ordered an initial batch of 28 Gripen Es and eight twin-seat Gripen Fs to be delivered between 2019 and 2024.

Source:  janes.com

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Israel Shoots Down Syrian Fighter Jet Penetrating Israeli Airspace

TASS
Two Patriot missiles fired at Russian-made Sukhoi plane that flew 2 kilometers into Israel, IDF says

 Yaniv Kubovich, Noa Landau and Jack Khoury Jul 25, 2018 11:20 AM

 Israel shot down a Syrian fighter jet that penetrated Israeli airspace on Tuesday, the Israeli army said.

 It said that the Russian-made Sukhoi plane was under surveillance when it flew some 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) into Israeli airspace.

 Syria said in response that one of its jets was targeted by Israel while conducting raids in southern Syria, in Syrian airspace.

 Israel's air defenses fired two Patriot missiles at the jet. IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said the plane was either a Sukhoi-22 or -24 and that it crashed in Syrian territory in the southern portion of the Syrian Golan Heights, although the fate of the pilots was unknown. A non-Syrian source close to the Assad government, however, said the pilot was killed..........Continue reading: HERE

Su-24M Fencer Bomber: Detials
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Stealth Fighter Sale to Turkey Risks Russian Interference

yenisafak.com
Patrick Kelley

 Senators turn to spending bill, NDAA in bid to block purchase

 The United States’ plans to sell the stealthy F-35 jet to a key NATO ally could allow Russia to study the most expensive weapons program in Pentagon history like a lab sample — a threat that has drawn the attention of several senators intent on protecting the pricey plane.

 Turkey is just one of many NATO members that plans to buy the American-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, but it is the only country in the alliance that has also inked a deal to purchase the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system.

 If those weapons systems worked in tandem, it could give the Russian military a front-row seat to the F-35’s capabilities — and, perhaps more importantly, its potential vulnerabilities.

 “The F-35 and the S-400 are just nonstarters,” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said shortly after visiting Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

 Graham and fellow Republican James Lankford, along with Democrat Chris Van Hollen, are so opposed to the Turks mixing Russian missile defense systems with U.S. jets that they included a provision in the Senate’s Defense spending bill banning Turkey from acquiring F-35s if Ankara also purchases the Russian missile defense system.

 North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis and New Hampshire Democrat Jeanne Shaheen have a similar provision in the Senate’s defense authorization bill that would block the sale of the F-35s to Turkey. House and Senate conferees on Monday wrapped up negotiations on the final version of the Pentagon policy bill, which the House could vote on as early as this week.

 While Graham and other hawks don’t believe that Ankara would willingly hand over key information on the F-35 to Moscow, Russian missile defense experts would have to train Turkish missile defense operators.

 Turkey received its first F-35 in June, and Turkish pilots are currently learning to fly the jets at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. Meanwhile, Turkey plans to receive its Russian-made missile defense systems no later than July 2019, which means members of the Russian military could be in Turkey with access to Turkish missile defense while F-35s fly above them.

 “An aircraft operating within range of S-400 sensors, those sensors could, and the weapons system itself could be used to gain some significant information on the characteristics of an F-35,” said Mark Gunzinger, a former senior Pentagon official who is now a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. “Would the S-400 actually be able to detect the range, altitude, speed and everything of an F-35 to be able to launch an accurate intercept? That’s really a difficult topic to discuss in an unclassified way.”

 ut Thomas Christie, who served as the Pentagon’s top weapons tester from 2001 to 2005, thinks Moscow may already know plenty about the F-35 after the Israelis flew their F-35s within range of Syria’s Russian-made missile defense systems.

 The Israeli flights, though, weren’t broadcast ahead of time to the Syrians or Russians. If Turkey were to operate both systems simultaneously, it would make it much easier for Russian trainers in Turkey to collect information on the jets.

 “I think [the Russians] already have everything they want,” Christie said. “If they don’t, it’s certainly a mechanism whereby they could get it.”

 Turkish government officials said they would ensure such a scenario never occurs. But removing Russia’s hands from the Turkish system would be difficult, considering that Russia will be involved in the missile system’s maintenance and upgrades.

 “In today’s day and age, understating the kinds of technologies that have been developed and matured, and Russia’s ability to use cyber tools and other capabilities to gain information surreptitiously, you have to be concerned,” Gunzinger said.

 Regional dynamics

 Turkey’s decision to buy the missile defense system came shortly after one of the lowest points in recent Russian-Turkish relations.

 In 2015, a Turkish F-16 downed a Russian SU-24 fighter jet that Turkey claims entered its airspace. The pilot and navigator ejected, but the pilot was shot and killed by rebels in Syria while parachuting to the ground, a violation of the Geneva Convention. The navigator was rescued.

 Furious with Turkey, Russian President Vladimir Putin squeezed the Turkish economy, banning visa-free travel for Turks, barring Russians from chartering vacations in Turkey and levying sanctions on Turkish food imports. The pressure worked. Erdogan apologized to Putin in June 2016 for downing the Russian jet, and Russo-Turkish relations strengthened.

 Turkey’s economy, however, is still sputtering. Erdogan could be seeking economic growth by increasing trade with the United States, said Graham. Erdogan floated the idea of a free-trade agreement with the U.S. when the two met in June, Graham said.

 If Turkey were to pursue free trade with the United States — and if President Donald Trump would entertain the idea — the missile defense system would surely be a sticking point. But Turkey has scrapped missile defense deals before, like in 2015 when Ankara canceled a deal with a Chinese company to develop a new long-range missile defense system. Turkish government officials insist the S-400 buy is a done deal.

 Personalities at play This spat between allies, though, is far more than a geopolitical nightmare. It’s personal.

 After a failed July 2016 coup aimed at dislodging Erdogan, the Turkish government jailed American pastor Andrew Brunson — one of Tillis’ constituents who has evangelized in Turkey for more than 20 years — on espionage charges.

 Brunson’s prosecutors have relied on “secret” witnesses to testify against him.

 “Any time an American is wrongfully detained anywhere by a foreign government, it is our country’s duty to do everything we can to bring him or her home,” Shaheen said in a statement.

 Despite senators’ personal diplomacy, Brunson was ordered to remain behind bars at a June 18 hearing and will stay there until his next hearing in October. The decision enraged the White House.

 “A total disgrace that Turkey will not release a respected U.S. Pastor, Andrew Brunson, from prison,” Trump tweeted after Brunson’s hearing.

 The tweet marks a rare public break between Trump and Erdogan, who have maintained a cordial relationship since first meeting in Washington last year. Turkey’s intransigence seems to be wearing on the president, which may help align Trump with lawmakers who see Ankara turning away from the West.

 After surviving the coup attempt, Erdogan fired more than 150,000 public officials based on alleged links to the coup and jailed more than 64,000 on terrorism charges, according to the humanitarian group Human Rights Watch. Additionally, Turkey has jailed hundreds of journalists and a Turkish national who worked at the U.S. consulate in Istanbul.

 Erdogan has since consolidated his power through a 2017 constitutional referendum that eliminated the role of the prime minister and elevated the president to the head executive position.

 Emboldened, Erdogan moved up Turkey’s planned November 2019 presidential election to June 2018, which he won. He will now rule Turkey uninhibited for the next five years, a prospect that concerns Capitol Hill.

 “This is an issue that has to be solved long-term with Turkey,” Lankford said. “Ultimately, it’s not about the F-35, it’s about Turkey and its future. We don’t need to turn over one of America’s finest pieces of technology to a country that we don’t know who they’re becoming.”

 Strategic location

 Walking away from F-35 sales to Turkey would be easier said than done. Ten Turkish companies currently produce F-35 components, from electrical wiring to the jets’ fuselages. In 2014 the Pentagon chose Turkey to be the plane’s regional repair depot.

 Blocking F-35 sales to Turkey, which plans to buy more than 100 of the jets, would not only drive up the price per plane for other buyers, it could also provoke Ankara to cease production of the jet’s key components.

 That threat alone is enough for both the Pentagon and plane-maker Lockheed Martin to oppose it.

 Lockheed Martin’s Vice President for Legislative Affairs Kristine Fauser warned congressional staffers in a June 22 email. “We would just ask that the national security impacts be considered as part of this debate and that folks understand that the impact is broader than just the international Turkey program,” Fauser wrote. “Access to the Turkish supply chain could have dramatic impacts to our ability to deliver aircraft to the US and our other allied partners.”

 Lockheed may very well get its wish. House Defense Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger, who represents the Texas district where the planes are assembled, said she opposes the Senate language, creating a significant issue to tackle in negotiations on a final spending bill later this year.

 House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey hasn’t given the measure a vote of confidence either. “Whether it survives or not, honestly, I don’t know,” Frelinghuysen said.

 For Lankford, though, this is about more than supply chains, unit cost and spending bills. It’s about the future of the NATO alliance.

 “We need to think this through long and hard,” Lankford said.

Source: rollcall.com

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